Transiting the ICW; Books, Websites, etc.

[Sea Hunt]

I preface my questions by urging that no one read anything special into my questions.

I have read through the prior posts discussing the ICW and particularly the posts by Andy Denmark and Russell. They and others recommended several books and websites that I will try to explore in the next few days and weeks, including The Intracoastal Waterway, Norfolk to Miami, and Skipper Bob's Guide to the ICW .

First, if motoring and/or sailing, say for example, a Cape Dory 25D, from somewhere around Woods Hole, Ma. to Miami, Fl., what would be the best time of year to transit the ICW My guess is the Fall (mid-Oct to mid-Nov). It is cool up north and as one heads south, the weather warms. It is also near the end of hurricane season.

Second, allowing for weather issues, boat issues, etc., what is a reasonable time frame to budget for a trip from Woods Hole to Miami I assume the books and websites I will look at will have some numbers but would welcome the input of CDers who have done it. The number of days or weeks would NOT be an issue, whether it is 2 weeks or 6 weeks. I am just curious about the number.

Third, just for the sake of discussion, say it is me doing this ICW transit. Most of you know of my tadpole sailing status and very limited experience, etc. (although it grows each time I am aboard S/V Tadpole). Is this a journey I could safely do solo

Fourth, is there a way to estimate a budget for such a journey- fuel, food, water, dock fees, mooring fees, etc.

This may all be a huge pipe dream (or nightmare ) but I thought I would at least explore the possibilities.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions, recommendations, etc. Given the nature of my questions, brutally honest and frank replies would seem to be in order and much appreciated.

[eb1smith]

Sea Hunt: I am currently transiting the ICW Northbound, well sort of. I say that because I also do a lot of sailing outside on the ocean as well.

I would have to say that the Skipper Bob Anchoring Guide and the Dozier's Waterway Guide make for the complete set. I do have the Maptech Waterway Guide but it is only ok. The Skipper Bob Guide and my paper charts took me a good ways up the ICW when my chartplotter died. With all that said you will still find that the best tools for checking on the status of the ditch, are common sense and asking for local information from staff at the marinas or by hailing one of the Towing Companies. Make sure you have unlimited towing as well, you will use it on the ICW.

Right now I am one of the few people down here in the south and have had few issues finding anchorages or dockage. Though most people start transiting from up north in September - October. Check your insurance for some of the companies specify that you can not go below Virginia until after Hurricane Season ends on November 30th, this is a new thing.

Time frame is totally up to you. I have been averaging about 30 - 40 miles a day, and if I push it up to 50 miles inside on the ICW. Outside on the open water I can go a lot further because it is a straight shot and I can sail as long as I like, even overnight. It is not recommend to sail at night on the ICW though (sailing is a loose term on the ICW you will find that you are motoring a lot). I would look at taking at least two months if you want to see and do things.

Third, about this Tadpole status thingy, enough. We are all "Tadpoles" those that say they are not, have not really pushed themselves. You will always be learning while you sail, especially when you go on adventures. Will you do stupid things? I have, but I learned what not to do. Will you run aground? On the ICW definitely. I have a few times. Just use common sense, if there is a Gale Warning posted do not go out in the ocean.

Forth budget. I guess you could spend almost nothing if you anchor and eat aboard all the time, but I don't. I have spent up to a $100/night on dockage. Right now I am at Georgetown Landing Marina and it cost me $50/night for dockage (Cape Dory 31). Food usually runs me $100 - $150/week. I cook aboard and eat out. Fuel is roughly $4.30 - $5.00/gal I have a burn rate of .5/gal/hour, so one day of travel I will burn 5 gallons of fuel.

Pipe dream or nightmare, well that will be all up to you. Stuff will break, you will get stuck, and you will have great stories to tell. It is all in the attitude. I have gotten mad, like when I realized there was no check valve in the automatic bilge pump line and the boat was taking on water. I also have great memories from the places I have been and the people I have met.

Cheers.

[Andy Denmark]

Robert,

I can comment on Cape May south and leave the northern leg of your proposed trip to others. I try not to go north of Cape May after October 1.

Books, etc.

You already have two of the more popular books for ICW transit, The Moeller's ICW: Norfolk to Miami, and Skipper Bob's Guide to ICW Anchorages.

The Maptech Chartbooks are best for use on a small boat and probably the most economical. You'll need:

Region 4, Chesapeake and Delaware Bays,
Region 6, Norfolk to Georgia,
and Region 7, Eastern Florida.

A useful addition to these is one of the many so-called "Cruising Guides" that give the telephone numbers of the many marinas and other facilities along the ICW. The phone numbers are mostly to call ahead for slip reservations instead of using the VHF for this.

One of the more useful ICW real-time information sites is Claiborne Young's Cruiser's Net. Check it out at:

http://www.cruisersnet.net.index.php

You can also log into the relevant USCG District sites and get current Notices to Mariners. Most marinas & other businesses have hot-spots so you can use the 'Net while enroute so doing this is pretty easy.

Best time of Year:

Fall, without a doubt. Get south of Cape May before Oct. 1 and into Florida before December.


Time Frame:

The one thing that ruins the pleasure in a trip like this is a rigid schedule. Get-there-itis also causes a great many misadventures -- people going on when they should hole up. From Norfolk southward it's relatively easy to plan travel days with the Moeller book. North of Norfolk your day planning is primarily weather dependent. Normally I'll do the entire Chesapeake non-stop and treat it almost like an offshore passage. Also, it is nice to do a few point-to-point offshore legs when the weather permits, especially around places that are a PITA (like Florida south of Lake Worth). I suggest you sit down with charts, Moeller, STD info according to your preferences and rough out the entire trip. You will never acheive this, however, unless your crystal ball is 100% accurate, but it gives you something to plan against. Count on spending some days at anchorages/marinas due to inclement weather.


Safe To Single Hand?

That depends entirely on your confidence level. You may want to contact Bill Watson aboard Kittiwake (CD-28) who has been doing this trip (at least from Annapolis area) for the last three years. He is a wealth of information on all of this.

Budget:

The previous poster covered this well. If you can stay on anchor as opposed to a marina then the cost is mininmal. I generally hit a marina every 3 or 4 days to wash clothes, resupply, eat someone else's cooking, fuel up, etc. This is another of those "point-of-pain" things with many people. I've done deliveries with people who had to be in a marina every night and other deliveries where we never stayed a single night in a marina.

So, there you have it, at least for the questions you asked. Plan it out and go. It is easier than you think especially with your usual attention to detail.
________
Rolling A Joint

[Andy Denmark]

http://www.cruisersnet.net/index
________
Rav4 ev

[Sea Hunt]

Andy and EB Smith:

Thanks very much for the updated information, websites, etc. I will order some books from Borders et al. and look at the websites.

Unfortunately, right now my mind is focused on a significant tropical "event" that is heading towards the "hurricane pipeline". Not good news. My first priority and focus is to protect S/V Tadpole - my first love. On Saturday, a friend and I are going to explore some "hurricane holes" in an effort to find a good spot for our respective CDs.

The owner of the larger CD I am thinking about does not appear to be strongly motivated to sell. Certainly understandable.

My consideration of a larger CD resulted from intentionally spending a few hours in the cabin of S/V Tadpole while on her mooring at the club just to see what an "overnighter" would feel like. When I was 20 I guess it would have been fun, especially with a female companion. Today, however, not so much

I would really like to be able to do some limited 2-3 days trip to the Keys, etc. While I am learning a lot with S/V Tadpole (she is a good and patient teacher ), I cannot envision me being aboard for a 2,3, 4 day cruise. It's just too cramped for my old, fat, aching body.

Thus, the interest in a slightly larger CD with more cabin space, etc. Time will tell. I am in no rush. As readers know, there is not much that I do quickly or impulsively these days.

If I do invest in a larger CD I am seriously considering keeping S/V Tadpole - buying her a nice trailer and keeping her well protected and well cared for so that when I eventually sell the larger CD and go back to day sailing, I will be able to renew my love affair with Tadpole. Dreams, all dreams

[Russell]

Unfortunately, right now my mind is focused on a significant tropical "event" that is heading towards the "hurricane pipeline". Not good news. My first priority and focus is to protect S/V Tadpole - my first love. On Saturday, a friend and I are going to explore some "hurricane holes" in an effort to find a good spot for our respective CDs.

Best of luck to you. Hopefully it will fizzle out before it reaches or turn north. If you do get hit with something, I hope all goes well. This thing will be passing directly over my head tommorow (I am in Culebra right nowo) but not expecting to see anything beyond 35 even if it does declared a TD, havnt even put the second anchor out, but its ready to deploy just in case!

[Sea Hunt]

Russell:

Thanks. Here is what Nat'l Hurricane Ctr said at 2000 hours today, Thursday, 14 August 2008:

THE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE HAS
CONTINUED TO MOVE WESTWARD ABOUT 15 MPH AND IS NOW CENTERED OVER
THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. SATELLITE IMAGES AND AIRCRAFT DATA INDICATE
THAT THE SYSTEM HAS NOT BECOME ANY BETTER ORGANIZED DURING THE PAST
SEVERAL HOURS. HOWEVER...UPPER-LEVEL WINDS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
DEVELOPMENT AND A TROPICAL DEPRESSION COULD FORM AT ANY TIME DURING
THE NEXT 24 HOURS OR SO. REGARDLESS OF DEVELOPMENT...HEAVY RAINS
AND GUSTY WINDS WILL LIKELY SPREAD OVER PORTIONS OF THE NORTHERN
LEEWARD ISLANDS...THE VIRGIN ISLANDS...PUERTO RICO...AND HISPANIOLA
DURING THE NEXT DAY OR TWO. INTERESTS IN THESE AREAS AS WELL AS THE
TURK AND CAICOS...SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS AND EASTERN CUBA SHOULD
MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM.

If you are in Culebra, PR, you are shortly going to be getting a heavy dose of rain and wind.

I assume you are very familiar with the NHC/NOAA website for tracking hurricanes. I go to it almost every day:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

It is accurate, concise, without the hyperbole of commercial channels.

[Russell]

[quote="Sea Hunt"
If you are in Culebra, PR, you are shortly going to be getting a heavy dose of rain and wind.

I assume you are very familiar with the NHC/NOAA website for tracking hurricanes. I go to it almost every day:
[/quote]

Oh I am getting hit now Boat is rocking and rolling, gonna be awake all night with this. Engine running and in gear to keep load off the anchors. Doubt net will last much longer.

Yeah, very familiar with NHC site, Navy site, several comemrcial sites, etc.. 3 years dodging hurricanes in the Caribbean now, one becomes a pro at weather websites .

[seabreeze384]

I just finished an ICW trip from Tampa to Norfolk via the Keys. So I can not comment on anything north of Norfolk.

#1 - Oct/Nov is the best time to go south for the winter. September is beautiful but there is the hurricane risk, which is managable. December brings the start of the cold front cycle - strong NW-N-NE wind followed by warming temps and moderate wind from SE. Then the next front comes with strong NW-N-NE....you get the picture.
#2 - In a CD25 I think you should figure an average moving speed of something under 4 knots. It will be slower under sail than power, you will wait for bridges , you will sail far less than you think, currents will run to 3 knots in places (this works for you and against you, so if you are smart and patient it can be to your advantage) - so factor these things in to your planning. If you run from dawn to dark you can put miles behind you quicker but you should really consider stopping to smell the roses. There are many beautiful places to visit; especially coastal NC west of the outer banks.
#3 - Definately 'yes' IF you are an experienced sailor and you stay inside. Running outside would require over night sailing and you should consider the risks very carefully.
#4 - From Norfolk to FL/GA line figure $1.50/ft average dock fees. I do know of some free docks. Email me if you want to know where they are. Also figure at today's prices $4.50 for fuel. For food, figure on spending about 10% more than you do now at home per week. You will consume more liquids to stay hydrated. Food costs more in small towns along the way.

Other thoughts -
1. Tide ranges in SC/GA/N.FL can be as much as 6'.
2. Spend $$ on spare parts. Having spares will save you time and money.
3. Add 25% - 50% to the cost of fuel and dock space for FL.
4. Chose cruising guides carefully. Many (even brand new editions) contain very out of date information.
5. A small 8x11 chart book of the ICW is a great back up to GPS for cockpit reference. For larger charts go with the maptech recommendation by Andy. Also the cruisersnet web site but not CY's books. The web site posts tend to get a little hysterical sometimes so read with a critical eye.
6. It took me 34 years of dreaming and planning before I was in a position to make my trip without putting my family finances at risk. All things good come to those who dream, plan and save.
Best Regards
Rick

[Sea Hunt]

Rick:

Thank you very much for the information. Unfortunately, the CD 25D I was thinking about has been sold. However, there may be others in the Northeast/New England area that may become available later this month or Sept/Oct. I will keep your information and advise and hopefully put it to good use (someday )

I am very happy with my Ty Weekender and am in no rush to make any precipitous moves.